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A 74-year-old Bexley woman was found dead of apparent carbon-monoxide poisoning yesterday
evening.

The woman, whose name was not released last night, had collapsed in her cellar at 940 Chelsea
Ave., said Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Bill Bishop. The woman’s daughter found her and called 911
about 6:30 p.m.

Columbus medics, who provide emergency services for Bexley, discovered carbon-monoxide levels of
about 600 parts per million when they arrived. The federal Environmental Protection Agency says
that normal household levels are less than 30 parts per million, and that levels greater than 150
can cause death.

Investigators determined that the toxic gas came from a malfunctioning boiler, Bishop said.

The woman lived alone and had last been seen by family members on Thursday, he said.

More than 400 people die of carbon-monoxide poisoning every year in the United States, says the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s very important for people to have carbon-monoxide detectors in their cellars, in
staircases and near bedrooms,” Bishop said.